INPA

Special INPA Speaker: Sindhu Satyavolu (IFAE) Institut de Fisica d'Altes Energies
2024-12-04 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Date: December 4, 2024
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Sindhu Satyavolu (IFAE) Institut de Fisica d’Altes Energies
Title: Quasar proximity zones in a partially ionized IGM
Abstract: Proximity zones of quasars with redshifts z > 5.5 are unique probes of the growth of supermassive black holes, and a nuisance in the direct measurements of the mean free path of the photons that reionize the universe. Interestingly, such proximity zones have been at the centre of two observational puzzles in recent times: 1) about 10% of the measured proximity zone sizes in the quasar Lyman-alpha spectra seem to be too short to explain their black hole masses, and 2) when corrected for the proximity zones, the mean free path of ionizing photons at z ~ 6 appears to be much shorter than theoretical predictions. In this talk, I will present a model of quasar proximity zones that takes into account the patchiness of the ionization and thermal state of the IGM during reionization. I will show that the patchiness of reionization can relieve the tension between the proximity zone sizes and black hole masses to some degree, but not fully. Further, I will show how quasar proximity zones in an inhomogeneously ionized IGM affects mean free path measurements from rest-frame 912 A spectra at z ~ 6. By forward modelling the proximity zones, I will examine the consistency between the direct and indirect redshift-6 mean free path measurements. Finally, I will show that the observed distribution of proximity zone sizes can be explained by a model in which quasars are variable on timescales of ~10^6 yr and have short duty cycles. This conclusion, when combined with the measurements of black hole masses of these quasars, directly leads to a prediction of significant obscuration in high-redshift quasars. I will argue that measurements of this obscuration fraction using JWST can then place constraints on the seed mass and formation redshifts of black holes.
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INPA Seminar- Speaker: Alina Sabyr (Columbia University)
2024-12-06 12:00 - 13:00
INPA Seminar Talk
Date: December 6, 2024
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Alina Sabyr (Columbia University)
Title: Future Cosmology with CMB Spectral Distortions and Secondaries
Abstract: Spectral distortions–small deviations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) energy spectrum from that of a perfect blackbody–probe the physical processes that occur in the primordial Universe (mu-distortion) and at late times (y-distortion). In this talk, I will present a new instrument concept, SPECTER, that we forecast to observe the mu-distortion at high significance while marginalizing over astrophysical foregrounds. Within the standard cosmological model, the mu-distortion is sourced primarily by the energy injected via Silk damping and is thus sensitive to the primordial power spectrum at very small scales. Next, I will present a new constraint on the y-distortion from the re-analysis of the COBE/FIRAS archival data. The known source of the y-distortion is the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) effect – inverse-Compton scattering of CMB photons off of energetic electrons primarily located in galaxy groups and clusters. Therefore, y-distortion can give tight constraints on the mean ionized gas properties. Finally, upcoming CMB anisotropy experiments will provide high-resolution and low-noise component-separated tSZ maps. I will discuss the cosmological constraining power of several tSZ higher-order statistics. Using a large suite of halo-model-based simulations, we show that there is substantial non-Gaussian information in the tSZ maps that can be extracted in future analyses.

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NO INPA SEMINAR
2024-12-13 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-01-24 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-02-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-21 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-04-04 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-02 12:00 - 13:00 and 2 more dates

INPA SEMINAR Speaker: Majd Ghrear (UHM)- Title: Directional Recoil Detection
2024-12-20 12:00 - 13:00
Date: December 20, 2024
Time: 12:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Majd Ghrear (UHM)
Title: Directional Recoil Detection
Abstract: Directional detection of low-energy nuclear and electronic recoils is broadly desirable in nuclear and particle physics. Applications include coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS), astrophysical neutrino measurements, probing dark matter (DM) beneath the neutrino fog, and possibly confirming the galactic origin of a DM signal. While gaseous Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) offer the required gain and readout granularity, they must be very large to achieve the required sensitivity for several of these physics applications. We discuss several aspects of future directional recoil detection experiments such as background rejection, detector scalability, directional performance on electron recoils, and improving directional performance with deep neural networks.
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INPA SEMINAR Speaker: John (Jack) Smedley (U of Rochester)-Title: Measuring Neutrino Cross Sections on Argon with the ICARUS Detector
2025-01-10 12:00 - 13:00
Date: January 10, 2025
Time: 12:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: John (Jack) Smedley (University of Rochester)
Title: Measuring Neutrino Cross Sections on Argon with the ICARUS Detector
Abstract: ICARUS is a large liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) operating at Fermilab as the far detector for the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program. ICARUS is also able to measure neutrino-argon interactions in the same energy range as the future long-baseline neutrino experiment DUNE via its off-axis position to the NuMI neutrino beam. Here we present progress toward the first cross-section measurements from ICARUS, targeting events with one or more nucleons and zero mesons in the final state.
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[Virtual] INPA Seminar Speaker: Erin Engelhardt ( University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)- Title: Searching for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with LEGEND-200
2025-01-17 12:00 - 13:00
Date: January 17, 2025
Time: 12:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Erin Engelhardt ( University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
Title: Searching for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with LEGEND-200
Abstract: Neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) is a theorized process where two neutrons decay into two protons and two electrons without emitting any antineutrinos. The existence of 0νββ would indicate the neutrino has a Majorana nature and thus acts as its own antiparticle. This process would violate lepton number conservation and provide a mechanism for explaining the observed matter/antimatter asymmetry. The Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless ββ decay (LEGEND) is a phased 0νββ search in 76Ge using isotopically enriched high-purity germanium (HPGe) point contact detectors. The first phase, LEGEND-200, began operating in March 2023 with 142 kg of HPGe detectors and announced an updated half-life limit of 1.9 x 1026 yrs at the Neutrino 2024 conference. To achieve its sensitivity goals, LEGEND-200 requires incredibly low background rates. Alpha and beta particles on the detector surfaces constitute a significant source of backgrounds in LEGEND. To mitigate these backgrounds, a new pulse-shape discrimination technique for identifying surface events has been developed and implemented into the first LEGEND-200 analysis. In this seminar, I will present an overview of the LEGEND-200 analysis and its first result. I will also discuss the performance and evaluation of the surface background rejection techniques used in LEGEND.
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Alex Droster (UC Berkeley)-Title: Searching high and low for dark matter axions
2025-01-31 12:00 - 13:00
Date: January 31, 2025
Time: 12:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Alex Droster (UC Berkeley)
Title: Searching high and low for dark matter axions
Abstract: After almost 50 years, the axion remains the only mainstream solution to the non-observation of CP violation in the strong force. It is also a very attractive solution to the dark matter problem of the universe due to its long lifetime, weak Standard Model couplings, and production mechanisms in the early universe that generate cosmologically relevant density. However, nearly half a century after its proposal, the axion remains undiscovered. In this talk I will review experimental efforts across nine orders of magnitude in axion mass aimed at directly detecting this elusive particle, focusing on the HAYSTAC and ALPHA experiments looking for high mass post-inflationary axions, and DMRadio on the opposite end of the scale searching for very low mass GUT-scale axions. I will also describe the quantum enhancement techniques which have already enabled us to operate below the Standard Quantum Limit, and strategies for extending these ultrasensitive searches to both higher and lower frequencies.
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Alex Reeves(ETH Zurich)-Title: TBA
2025-02-14 12:00 - 13:00
Date: February 14, 2025
Time: 12:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Alex Reeves (ETH Zurich)
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Larisa Throne (JGU Mainz)-Title: The Role of Atomic Tritium in Future Neutrino Mass Experiments
2025-02-21 12:00 - 13:00
Date: February 21, 2025
Time: 12:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Larisa Throne (JGU Mainz)
Title: The Role of Atomic Tritium in Future Neutrino Mass Experiments
Abstract: Nearly 70 years since the neutrino was discovered and 25 years since the discovery of neutrino oscillations established its non-zero mass, the absolute neutrino-mass scale remains unknown. Tritium beta decay endpoint measurements currently offer the best upper limit on the neutrino mass. A next-generation experiment with greater sensitivity must overcome one of the major systematics for this kind of measurement: the molecular nature of the beta decay source. Current and past tritium beta decay experiments use a molecular tritium source in which one of the tritium atoms undergoes decay. A fraction of the decay energy excites the molecule into rotational, vibrational, or electronic excited states; this causes broadening in the molecule’s final state distribution (FSD), and has a smearing effect on the beta decay spectrum. In order to achieve a reduced systematic uncertainty due to this FSD smearing, next-generation experiments must switch to an atomic tritium source.
I will present an overview of the necessary steps to develop an atomic tritium source through the lens of the Project 8 experiment. This multi-institution development program includes dissociation of molecular tritium, cooling the resulting tritium atoms via a two-step process down to 10mK, and trapping them magnetically. In addition to this overview, I will focus on the multitude of tritium-compatible diagnostic tools being developed at JGU Mainz to measure atom flux, atom beam shape, and temperature.
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Krystal Alfonso (Virginia Tech)-Title: With or without ν? Probing double beta decay with CUORE
2025-02-28 12:00 - 13:00
Date: February 28, 2025
Time: 12:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Krystal Alfonso (Virginia Tech)
Title: With or without ν? Probing double beta decay with CUORE
Abstract: The massive neutrino is our rabbit in a waistcoat. Prompted by the discovery of neutrino oscillations, our community has taken a keen interest in answering how neutrinos with mass affect our understanding of the Universe. One approach to probing the elusive neutrino is to search for neutrinoless double beta decay—a lepton number violating process that would confirm the Majorana nature of the neutrino and possibly constrain the absolute neutrino-mass scale. In this presentation, I will focus on the search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te with CUORE, a tonne-scale cryogenic calorimeter operated at milli-kelvin temperatures. Recently, the experiment has demonstrated over 5 years stable operation. I will describe this achievement in the context of the CUORE analysis framework and the latest results using over 2 tonne.yr TeO2 exposure.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA SEMINAR SPEAKER: Eve Vavagiakis ( Duke University)- Title: From ACT to Simons Observatory and CCAT: Upcoming observations of the millimeter and submillimeter sky
2025-03-28 12:00 - 13:00
Date: March 28, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Eve Vavagiakis (Duke University)
Title: From ACT to Simons Observatory and CCAT: Upcoming observations of the millimeter and submillimeter sky
Abstract: Rapid developments in instrumentation and highly sensitive superconducting detectors have provided a wealth of arcminute-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. These measurements are transforming our understanding of the evolution of our cosmos. I will contextualize recent results from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and discuss how our high-resolution CMB maps are at the frontier of Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect science. I will also summarize the design and status of the first light instruments and low-temperature detectors for the CCAT Observatory and discuss early science goals with the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope. Upcoming measurements of the millimeter and submillimeter sky with CCAT and the Simons Observatory will offer rich opportunities for cross-correlation studies and pave the way toward CMB-S4. This will enable novel multifrequency science in the coming years, testing cosmological models and opening new windows on galaxy evolution and fundamental physics.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011

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INPA Seminar Speaker: Vladyslav Berest (Remote)-Universite Paris-Saclay- Title: Towards the meV level of neutrino mass scale: from CUPID to BINGO
2025-04-11 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 11, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Vladyslav Berest (Universite Paris-Saclay)
Title: Towards the meV level of neutrino mass scale: from CUPID to BINGO
Abstract: Neutrinoless double-beta decay (0v2b) is a key process in the search for Majorana neutrinos. Its observation would confirm the violation of lepton number conservation, demonstrating that neutrinos are their own antiparticles, and provide crucial insight into the absolute neutrino mass scale and hierarchy. The CUPID (CUORE Upgrade with Particle ID) experiment aims to achieve the sensitivity required to probe the inverted hierarchy region of the effective Majorana mass. It will employ an array of scintillating bolometers composed of Li2MoO4 (LMO) crystals enriched in Mo-100, coupled with Ge bolometric light detectors. This dual heat-light readout enables an efficient rejection of the alpha background, which currently limits the sensitivity of its predecessor, CUORE. CUPID aims to reach an unprecedented background index of 1e-4 counts/kg/keV/year (ckky) in the region of interest (ROI) and to establish the technology required for a future ton-scale bolometric 0v2b experiment. Beyond CUPID, further sensitivity improvements are necessary to probe the normal hierarchy region. The BINGO (Bi-Isotope 0v2b Next Generation Observatory) project introduces novel strategies to reduce background levels to 1e-5 ckky for the simultaneous study of Mo-100 and Te-130 isotopes. It proposes three main technological improvements that should help to drastically reduce background in ROI, including innovative detector assembly, cryogenic active veto, and Neganov-Trofimov-Luke light detectors. This talk will provide a general review of the current status of 0v2b decay bolometric experiments, along with the most recent results of R&D work conducted within the BINGO project framework.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA Seminar Speaker: Adam Baldoni (Penn State)-Title: A Novel Target Material for Optical Neutrino Detectors
2025-04-18 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 18, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Adam Baldoni (Penn State)
Title: A Novel Target Material for Optical Neutrino Detectors
Abstract: Since the late 1960s, optical detectors have been a common method for detecting neutrino interactions. Two common target materials for these detectors are pure water and liquid scintillator, each having advantages and disadvantages. A new material, water-based liquid scintillator (WbLS), has been developed over the last decade at Brookhaven National Laboratory and combines the advantages of its constituents while minimizing their disadvantages. Small-scale, tabletop experiments have been done with WbLS, but ton-scale tests need to be performed before scaling up to a kiloton-scale WbLS detector. This talk will give an overview of three ton-scale WbLS detectors currently in operation, detailing their design and the physics underlying how these detectors work.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA SEMINAR - Speaker: Dr. Paschal Coyle (CNRS, Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille, France)-Title: Physics in the abyss with KM3NeT: from neutrino oscillations to cosmic neutrinos
2025-04-25 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 25, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Auditorium 50-4 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Dr. Paschal Coyle (CNRS, Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille, France)
Title: Physics in the abyss with KM3NeT: from neutrino oscillations to cosmic neutrinos
Abstract: The Kilometre cube neutrino telescope (KM3NeT) is a deep-sea neutrino telescope currently under construction in the Mediterranean Sea. Its main goals are the search for astrophysical sources of high-energy cosmic neutrinos and the study of neutrino oscillation phenomena with atmospheric neutrinos. It is also a unique cabled marine observatory for sea science studies.
KM3NeT comprises giant 3D arrays of multi-PMT optical modules optimized to detect the Cherenkov light emitted by charged particles resulting from neutrino interactions in the vicinity of the detectors. With its two sites: ARCA a ‘sparse’ km3-scale detector offshore from Sicily and ORCA a ‘dense’ 7 MTon detector offshore from the south of France, KM3NeT is sensitive to neutrino energies ranging from Mev to PeV.
In this talk, the KM3NeT status and prospects are reported. The latest results including; atmospheric neutrino oscillations, tau appearance, neutrino mass ordering, searches for beyond standard model effects and the recent detection of an exceptional ultra-high energy cosmic neutrino are presented.
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA SEMINAR SPEAKER: TBA
2025-05-09 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 9, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: TBA
Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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INPA SEMINAR SPEAKER: Mackenzie Duce (Georgia Tech)-Title: Developments in Polysiloxane-based Scintillators for Radiation Detection
2025-05-16 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 16, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Mackenzie Duce (Georgia Tech)
Title: Developments in Polysiloxane-based Scintillators for Radiation Detection
Abstract: Organic scintillators are a common choice in radiation detection due to their fast response time, enabling discrimination of incident ionizing radiation via the pulse shapes. Commercially available organic scintillators are typically formulated from polyvinyl-toluene matrices. Still, there is extensive research in alternative bases for these scintillators to improve radiation hardness, ruggedness, and chemical stability without sacrificing radiation detection characteristics. Polysiloxane-based scintillators are formulated from silicone resins, making them rugged and radiation-hard. They have recently shown radiation detection capabilities on par with commercial options while requiring less doping of fluorescent molecules. Now, polysiloxane scintillators doped with Boron-10 enriched molecules have been developed for thermal neutron detection. These scintillators demonstrate a light output of ~6,000 photons/MeVee and a pulse shape discrimination figure of merit surpassing 1.27. As the pulse shapes from fast neutrons (MeV) overlap with those from thermal neutrons (< 0.025 eV), an algorithm has been developed to discern between thermal neutrons and fast neutrons in a mixed-field environment. A survey of 13 B10-doped polysiloxane scintillators formulations, the algorithm development and deployment, and the characterization of a scintillators array for nuclear nonproliferation applications is presented.

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Meeting ID: 950 1669 6011
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NO INPA Seminar Speaker
2025-06-06 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-06-20 12:00 - 13:00

INPA Seminar Speaker-Bear Carlson (University of Florida)- Title: Machine-Learning-Based Data Reconstruction Chain for the Short Baseline Near Detector
2025-06-13 12:00 - 13:00
Date: June 13, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room – 50A-5132 [Hybrid and In-Person]
Speaker: Bear Carlson (University of Florida)
Title: Machine-Learning-Based Data Reconstruction Chain for the Short Baseline Near Detector
Abstract: The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is a 100-ton scale Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector positioned in the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab, as part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program. Recent inroads in Computer Vision (CV) and Machine Learning (ML) have motivated a new approach to the analysis of particle imaging detector data. SBND data can therefore be reconstructed using an end-to-end, ML-based data reconstruction chain for LArTPCs. The reconstruction chain is a multi-task network cascade that combines point-level feature extraction using Sparse Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and particle superstructure formation using Graph Neural Networks (GNN). I will first introduce the SBN program and its physics goals. I then demonstrate the expected reconstruction performance on SBND and its role in physics measurements.

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NO INPA SEMINAR TALK
2025-06-27 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-07-04 12:00 - 13:00
